If sensitive products such as beef, poultry, eggs, honey, ethanol, and citrus fruits experience a substantial increase in imports into the EU and affect domestic production, then this investigation is triggered and, of course, the safeguard clause, which requires compensation for affected farmers within 14 days, declares PSD MEP Ştefan MUŞOIU after a working meeting with S&D Group leader Iratxe García Pérez, alongside PSD MEPs and Romanian journalists.

Iulian Ionescu (Ecopolitic journalist): Good afternoon, Mr. MEP. In the report you drafted together with your colleagues in the S&D group, you also referred to a safeguard clause for Romanian farmers. Well, for the European Union in the current context.

MEP Ştefan MUŞOIU: Yes, it is a safeguard clause in the context of the European Union-Mercosur trade agreement.

Indeed, we have given a stronger mandate to the Committee on International Trade (INTA) to negotiate with the European Commission and the Council of the European Union from the perspective of the provisions of this safeguard clause, which may intervene when farmers are affected by distortions in the European Union market.

These are provisions that strengthen farmers’ rights, but also guarantee product quality for consumers in the European Union. It should be noted that this safeguard clause can be activated within 14 days of an irregularity being reported, triggering an investigation to discover what caused the malfunction in the European Union market.

This safeguard clause, which is activated within a maximum of 14 days, provides substantial aid, a subsidy, financial assistance to farmers who have suffered as a result of market malfunctions. What does this mean? It means that there may be increases above the established quotas for imports from Mercosur, there may be price decreases for products that may impact productivity and products in the European Union. From this perspective, the quota has been reduced from 10% to 5% for the increase in Mercosur imports relative to the average of the last three years, but also if prices fall by more than 5% compared to the average of the last three years. These are just two important elements, but there are others. In the sense that imports and production, as well as other economic indicators, are monitored every three months. So every three months we have a report on this that clearly states what is happening in the market. It is much stricter monitoring. Also, cases that are being investigated as a result of market malfunctions must be completed within two months for sensitive products and within three months for others. Previously, the deadlines were more generous, but we in the INTA Committee, adopting the Agri position, considered that it is much healthier for producers, for Romanian farmers, but also for European farmers, to act much more quickly and efficiently, because only in this way can we prevent malfunctions that can degenerate and irreparably affect European farmers.

Iulian Ionescu (Ecopolitic journalist): Can you give us an example?

MEP Ştefan MUŞOIU: First of all, we are talking about sensitive products such as beef, poultry, eggs, honey, ethanol, and citrus fruits. If there is a substantial increase in imports of these products into the European Union and this affects domestic production, then this investigation is triggered and, of course, the safeguard clause, which requires compensation for the affected farmer within 14 days.

These dysfunctions can occur at the level of the entire European Union, but also at the level of one or more countries, depending on the geographical context in terms of the production of those farmers.